Adh. Mandhoo, Maldives – Maldives Police Service (MPS) has revealed that they had caught four people who were shark fishing near Adh. Mandhoo island.
According to police, four people were caught red handed while catching sharks and shark fins and salted shark meat was also found on the fishing vessel in which they were on. While no further details had been given, police stated that they were investigating the case further.
This case comes while Maldives Customs seized 21 boxes filled with 429kg of shark fins that were being shipped abroad at the Velana International Airport (VIA) on January 03, 2021. The shark fins were concealed in a shipment declared as salt fish and were being shipped abroad to be sold.
Recognizing the serious peril that the nation’s valuable shark resources could face, in the face of uncertainty about the status of shark stocks in Maldivian waters, in 2010 the Government of the Maldives adopted the ultimate precautionary approach and declared a ban on shark fishing within the whole EEZ of the country. The decision also prohibits retaining of sharks in any fisheries in the entire Maldivian waters.
